Date Selection Turkish Delight

Perhaps surprisingly, date is a recent addition to the lokoum art – another of Haci Bekir's modern triumphs. The dense sticky richness of date works so well in the sugary Turkish delight. This box contains three different date lokoums: plain, hazelnut and pistachio.

Specially crafted for Özerlat, these small, delectable sweets are a masterpiece of confectioner Haci Bekir Efendi, originally created for the Ottoman Palace in the 18th century.

Still running as a family company in fifth generation, Haci Bekir produces the finest lokoums using only natural ingredients and real flavours sourced carefully from locak suppliers with no artificial preservatives or flavourings.

The delights come packaged in 200g boxes (around 20 pieces), all hand-cut (so some pieces may be larger than others).

At Özerlat they have matched their authentic Turkish coffees with lokoum from the legendary confectionery house Haci Bekir, which was established by master confectioner Bekir Effendi in Istanbul in 1777 and is still family owned today.

They believe lokoum (pronounced ‘lock-hume’) was made to go with coffee. Bite a piece, let it melt on your tongue, then take a sip of dark, sumptuous Turkish coffee and the complex flavours just envelop your senses.

Özerlat have been making and selling gourmet Turkish coffee for just under 100 years. The company’s founder, their great-grandfather Dervis ‘Tahmis’ Özerlat, started the business in 1917 in Nicosia, when he became the first person to introduce freshly roasted Turkish coffee to Cyprus. This earned him the nickname Tahmis, meaning ‘coffee roaster’.

Today, their father (Thames’s grandson) Dervis Özerlat maintains the traditions and standards set by their great-grandfather, roasting and grinding fine Arabica coffee in their Nicosia premises. And now they are taking up the challenge to bring exceptional Turkish coffee to the UK and revive a tradition that’s been overlooked for far too long.